There are three basic reasons why you should become a vegetarian. Firstly, a vegetarian diet is good for your health. Secondly, it is a contribution to the welfare of animals. Thirdly, becoming a vegetarian is good for the environment.Let's start with your health. By eating a vegetarian diet you will consume considerably less saturated fat than by eating a conventional meat based diet. This will be good for the health of your heart.
Studies have shown that people who eat nuts on a regular basis are less likely to suffer heart attacks. Vegetarians depend on nuts as one of their sources of protein. Heart disease has become a major killer in all modern industrialized societies.
That alone would be a major reason to consider becoming a vegetarian. But the health benefits are even greater than that. Vegetarians are seldom obese. Obesity and the health problems associated with it have become a major public health issue.
Most vegetarians consume a lot of complex carbohydrates. These are the "good carbs" you will have heard of that do not cause rapid fluctuations in blood sugar levels. When we experience a rush of blood sugar we must produce more insulin. If this process is repeated our bodies can become insensitive to our own insulin and type 2 diabetes may result in extreme cases. Type 2 diabetes is becoming increasingly common even in comparatively young people because of the modern diet.
Cancer is another killer disease that is on the increase. A vegetarian diet can play a part in reducing the risk of some cancers because it is high in fibre and high anti-oxidants that combat free radicals.
By eliminating meat from your diet as a vegetarian you are reducing your exposure to antibiotics that are used in animal husbandry and to the hormones that are used as growth promoters and to increase milk production. Antibiotics in food can result in antibiotic resistance. Hormones fed to animals can disrupt the activity of the hormones that our own bodies produce.
The intensive production of animals in factory farming systems raises major issues of animal welfare. There are also environmental concerns because factory farming is so resource hungry. Vast amounts of land are used to produce animal feed that could be used more efficiently to produce food for people. If more of us were vegetarians fewer children would go to bed hungry.
By becoming a vegetarian you are contributing to your own health, to the welfare of other people, to the welfare of animals and to the health of the planet. As an individual your contribution may be small, but your decision to become a vegetarian will influence others.
